Area (LDS Church)
An area is an administrative unit of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which typically is composed of multiple stakes and missions. With the abolishment of regional representatives and the creation of area seventies in 1995, the area became the primary church administrative unit between the stake and the church as a whole.
History
The areas as they now exist were formed in January 1984.[1] Prior to that time, general authorities served as "area supervisors" and at times resided outside of Salt Lake City. In 1984, 13 initial areas were created; by 1992 there were 22, and by early 2007 there were 31. As of August 2008 there were 27 areas.
Administration
Until 2003, each area had a president and two counselors, all of whom were typically general authorities.[2] This three-man body was known as the area presidency. In that year, the church eliminated area presidencies for all areas located in the United States and Canada. Each of these areas were placed under the direct supervision of one of the seven members of the Presidency of the Seventy, thus freeing more general authorities from specific area assignments. Since these areas were previously administered by area presidencies located at church headquarters in Salt Lake City, the administrative change was not as drastic as it might seem.
The areas outside the United States and Canada continue to be governed by area presidencies that are typically composed of general authorities and area seventies. Rather than living in Salt Lake City, the area presidency members in these areas usually reside in a headquarters city that is located within the geographic boundaries of the area.[3] Each area presidency employs an executive secretary to assist in the administration of the area.
List
The following is an alphabetical list of the areas of the church. The number assigned corresponds to the number on the map in the section below.
Select details
Africa Southeast Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Johannesburg South Africa Temple |
When areas were first organized in 1984 Africa was part of the British Isles/Africa Area. Outside of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia), the church only had a presence from 1978 on. Even in the first three countries missionary work among black Africans did not began on a significant scale until after the church began allowing blacks to hold the priesthood in 1978.
Africa West Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Aba Nigeria Temple Accra Ghana Temple |
Asia Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120,333 | 10 | 16 stakes 27 districts |
109 wards 198 branches |
2 Hong Kong China Temple Taipei Taiwan Temple |
Asia North Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Fukuoka Japan Temple Seoul Korea Temple Tokyo Japan Temple |
Brazil Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 970,903 | 27 | 1756 | 5 Campinas Brazil Temple Porto Allegre Brazil Temple Recife Brazil Temple São Paulo Brazil Temple Curitiba Brazil Temple |
Caribbean Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple |
Central America Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Guatemala City Guatemala Temple San José Costa Rica Temple Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple Panamá City Panamá Temple |
Chile Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 543,628 | 9 | 612 | 1 Santiago Chile Temple |
Europe Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Bern Switzerland Temple Copenhagen Denmark Temple Frankfurt Germany Temple Freiberg Germany Temple Helsinki Finland Temple London England Temple Madrid Spain Temple Preston England Temple Stockholm Sweden Temple The Hague Netherlands Temple |
Europe East Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
Idaho Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Boise Idaho Temple Idaho Falls Idaho Temple |
Mexico Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,082,427 | 21 | 1936 | 12 Ciudad Juárez México Temple Colonia Juárez Chihuahua México Temple Guadalajara México Temple Hermosillo Sonora México Temple Monterrey México Temple Mérida México Temple México City México Temple Oaxaca México Temple Tampico México Temple Tuxtla Gutiérrez México Temple Veracruz México Temple Villahermosa México Temple |
Middle East/Africa North Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
North America Central Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Billings Montana Temple Bismarck North Dakota Temple Cardston Alberta Temple Denver Colorado Temple Edmonton Alberta Temple Nauvoo Illinois Temple Regina Saskatchewan Temple St. Louis Missouri Temple St. Paul Minnesota Temple Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple |
North America Northeast Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Boston Massachusetts Temple Halifax Nova Scotia Temple Manhattan New York Temple Montréal Québec Temple Palmyra New York Temple Toronto Ontario Temple |
North America Northwest Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Anchorage Alaska Temple Columbia River Washington Temple Medford Oregon Temple Portland Oregon Temple Seattle Washington Temple Spokane Washington Temple |
North America Southeast Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Atlanta Georgia Temple Baton Rouge Louisiana Temple Birmingham Alabama Temple Columbia South Carolina Temple Memphis Tennessee Temple Nashville Tennessee Temple Orlando Florida Temple Raleigh North Carolina Temple |
North America Southwest Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 912,820 | 17 | 188 stakes 4 districts |
1505 wards 293 branches |
10 Albuquerque New Mexico Temple Dallas Texas Temple Houston Texas Temple Las Vegas Nevada Temple Lubbock Texas Temple Mesa Arizona Temple Oklahoma City Oklahoma Temple Reno Nevada Temple San Antonio Texas Temple Snowflake Arizona Temple |
North America West Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 815,441 | 18 | 174 | 1322 wards 174 branches |
9 Fresno California Temple Laie Hawaii Temple Kona Hawaii Temple Los Angeles California Temple Newport Beach California Temple Oakland California Temple Redlands California Temple Sacramento California Temple San Diego California Temple |
Pacific Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Adelaide Australia Temple Apia Samoa Temple Brisbane Australia Temple Hamilton New Zealand Temple Melbourne Australia Temple Nuku alofa Tonga Temple Papeete Tahiti Temple Perth Australia Temple Suva Fiji Temple Sydney Australia Temple |
Philippines Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 572,619 | 15 | 1075 | 1 Manila Philippines Temple |
South America North Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Bogotá Colombia Temple Caracas Venezuela Temple Guayaquil Ecuador Temple |
South America South Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Asunción Paraguay Temple Buenos Aires Argentina Temple Montevideo Uruguay Temple |
South America West Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Cochabamba Bolivia Temple Lima Peru Temple |
Utah North Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Bountiful Utah Temple Logan Utah Temple Ogden Utah Temple |
Utah Salt Lake City Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 658,317 | 3 | 178 stakes 1 district |
1346 wards 138 branches |
2 Jordan River Utah Temple Salt Lake Temple |
Utah South Area
| Membership | Missions | Stakes/Districts | Congregations (wards/branches) |
Temples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 Manti Utah Temple Monticello Utah Temple Mount Timpanogos Utah Temple Provo Utah Temple St. George Utah Temple Vernal Utah Temple |
See also
Notes
- ^ Allen, James B. and Glen M. Leonard. The Story of the Latter-day Saints 2nd Edition, p. 654.
- ^ Area Seventies were sometimes asked to be counselors.
- ^ Area seventies who serve in the area presidencies reside in their own homes, which may or may not be in the area headquarters city. The Middle East/Africa North Area is administered from Salt Lake City.
- ^ “Area Presidency Reorganized in South America West Area,” Ensign, Feb. 2008, p. 78.
References
- “New Area Leadership Assignments,” Ensign, Aug. 2008, 78–79